Mark F. Cancian

Senior Adviser, International Security Program
Mark F. Cancian

Mark Cancian (Colonel, USMCR, ret.) is a senior adviser with the CSIS International Security Program. He joined CSIS in April 2015 from the Office of Management and Budget, where he spent more than seven years as chief of the Force Structure and Investment Division, working on issues such as Department of Defense budget strategy, war funding, and procurement programs, as well as nuclear weapons development and nonproliferation activities in the Department of Energy. Previously, he worked on force structure and acquisition issues in the Office of the Secretary of Defense and ran research and executive programs at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. In the military, Colonel Cancian spent over three decades in the U.S. Marine Corps, active and reserve, serving as an infantry, artillery, and civil affairs officer and on overseas tours in Vietnam, Desert Storm, and Iraq (twice). Since 2000, he has been an adjunct faculty member at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, where he teaches a course on the connection between policy and analysis. A prolific author, he has published over 40 articles on military operations, acquisition, budgets, and strategy and received numerous writing awards. He graduated with high honors (magna cum laude) from Harvard College and with highest honors (Baker scholar) from Harvard Business School.

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Photo: Sam Yeh/AFP via Getty Images

Photo: Sam Yeh/AFP via Getty Images

The First Battle of the Next War: Wargaming a Chinese Invasion of Taiwan

CSIS wargamed a Chinese invasion of Taiwan 24 times and found that Taiwan would endure as a democratic and independent entity in most scenarios. However, the costs were enormous. Victory is not enough. The United States needs to strengthen deterrence to avoid war.

Report by Mark F. Cancian Matthew Cancian and Eric Heginbotham — January 9, 2023

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Executive Education

Inside DOD’s FY 2025 Budget

This course provides key insights from CSIS experts and practitioners on what the Biden Administration’s FY 2025 budget and strategy documents reveal about strategic priorities, major budget movements, force structure adds and cuts, and acquisition program changes.

Course Date: March 26, 2024
Registration Closes: March 12, 2024

Transatlantic Defense during Wartime

Transatlantic defense is at a key juncture as Russia's war in Ukraine has brought greater unity but also thrown into relief the challenges of producing military capability. The European Union and NATO have an opportunity to build on their strengths to address this crisis.

Report by Cynthia Cook Max Bergmann Mark F. Cancian Gregory Sanders Sissy Martinez Otto Svendsen and Nicholas Velazquez — September 5, 2023

Reforming the Pentagon's Budgeting System: Can DOD and Congress Strike a Deal?

An independent commission is considering major changes to Pentagon budgeting in response to criticisms that the process is too slow, inflexible, and risk averse. Will Congress and Pentagon staffs be willing to give up the authority that increased speed and agility require?

Critical Questions by Mark F. Cancian — August 22, 2023